Antisemitism is rampant. It is no longer a shadow in the distance or a history lesson; it is a global reality spreading with a new and dangerous intensity. From college campuses to city streets, hating Jews has become a socially acceptable outlet for the cynical and the ignorant. It is an easy target for the debased and the immoral-for those who want to feel superior by considering others subhuman.
For years, the Jewish world has spent billions of dollars and endless hours trying to "fight" this. We do outreach, we file lawsuits, and we run media campaigns. But let’s be honest: it hasn't worked. Despite all the effort, the hatred is growing
This leads to a simple question: If fighting the haters hasn't stopped them, why keep focusing on them? Why not focus on ourselves instead? You can't build a future based on how other people treat you. You build it on who you are.
A Badge of Honor
We need to stop chasing the world's approval. It’s a dead end. If people who are cynical, hypocritical, or just plain "incurably stupid" hate us, we should treat that hatred like a badge of honor, not a wound. We need to stop worrying about what they think. The goal isn't to make them "dislike us a little less." As the Torah says of the Jewish people: "הן עם לבדד ישכן ובגוים לא יתחשב"-"It is a people that dwells alone, not reckoned among the nations" (Numbers 23:9). Our strength comes from our uniqueness, not from trying to fit in.
The Lesson of the Mishkan: Veyikchu Li Terumah
In Parshas Terumah, right after the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai, Hashem didn't tell them to go out and fix the world’s opinion of them because of the greatness they had achieved. He didn't ask them to explain themselves to the nations. Instead, He gave them a command:
ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם
"Make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8)
This was an "inside job." The Sages point out that the verse doesn't say "dwell in it" (the building), but "dwell in them" (the people). The Mishkan was for us. It gave the people a center and a way to live with purpose.
Even the way it was built was unique. The Torah says, ויקחו לי תרומה-"They shall take for Me an offering." It doesn't say "give," it says "take." This means each person had to take something from within themselves and make it holy. The Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:12) compares the Jewish people to a "גן נעול"-"a locked garden." Just as a garden is protected from the wind and the dust by its walls, the Jewish people are protected by the boundaries of their own holiness. This is the blueprint for survival: when the world is chaotic or hostile, Jews stay strong by building kedusha (sanctity) in their own lives and homes.
The Centering Fact of Life
The ultimate goal of Jewish life isn't to be well-integrated or liked by our neighbors. It is for Judaism to be the centering fact of your life.
This means a life where Jewish learning, practice, and Torah are the source of meaning and the moral anchor for every member. As it says in Pirkei Avot (5:22): "הפוך בה והפוך בה דכולא בה"-"Turn it and turn it, for everything is in it." If you look deep enough into your own tradition, you don't need to look elsewhere for validation.
When being Jewish is your "North Star"-the thing that gives you purpose-you are secure. When we neglect that and let our identity become hollow, that’s when the world’s hate and confusion start to get to us.
Standing Our Ground
This isn't about hiding. It’s about standing our ground. We have never survived because the world liked us; we survived because we had a "Mishkan" in our lives. As the Prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah 54:17) promised: "כל כלי יוצר עליך לא יצלח"-"No weapon formed against you shall prosper." But this promise depends on us being connected to our source.
We can't build our future on what the neighbors think of us. We have to build it on our own commitment. We don't need the world to change; we need to get stronger. If we want Judaism to survive, we have to actually be Jewish.
The real test for every one of us comes down to one question: Will our grandchildren be Jewish? And are we able to answer that question positively? If we can, then we are winning. Everything else is just noise.